🚗 Growth Capital Podcast — Episode 68 🚗

What happens when cars no longer sit idle in driveways, but instead operate like a software platform?

In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, host Justin Dixon sits down with Ezra Goldman, Co-Founder & CEO of Upshift, to explore how autonomous vehicles, AI-powered dispatch systems, and subscription-based access could reshape the entire mobility economy.

Instead of owning a car that sits unused most of the time, Ezra believes the future will look more like “Netflix for cars”—where a vehicle shows up when you need it and disappears when you don’t.

From fleet logistics and utilization economics to the role AI will play in orchestrating thousands of vehicles in real time, this conversation dives into what the next mobility stack actually looks like and why the biggest opportunity may not be the car itself, but the software layer managing it.

In this episode, they discuss:

Whether you’re a founder building mobility tech, an investor tracking autonomous vehicles, or an operator thinking about logistics and fleet optimization, this episode offers a fascinating look at how transportation may evolve over the next decade.

Connect with Ezra & Upshift:

👍 If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to like, subscribe, and comment with your thoughts on the future of mobility.

🤖 Growth Capital Podcast — Episode 67 🤖

AI is moving fast. Most companies are moving faster — without governance.

In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, host Justin Dixon sits down with Allen Martinez, Founder & Chief AI Architect of Noble Digital, to unpack what most operators are getting wrong about AI implementation.

While everyone is racing to add new AI tools, Allen makes a compelling case that the real competitive advantage isn’t more AI — it’s better control.

Drawing from his background in film production and enterprise marketing strategy, Allen explains why AI systems need a “director,” how tool sprawl creates exponential risk, and why companies must move from soft policy documents to hard, machine-executable governance.

🔍 In this episode, they cover:

Allen Martinez is the creator of BXAIOS, the governance system that stops AI from freelancing in your brand's name and creates a competitive advantage as you scale.

📍 Connect with Allen

He is also the author of The Brand Experience AI Operating System. Get the first chapter for FREE — https://preview.mailerlite.io/forms/1780848/170432170750379532/share

If you’re a founder, operator, or investor thinking about AI beyond the hype — this episode is essential.

👉 Subscribe for more conversations with private equity leaders and high-growth executives.

💼 Growth Capital Podcast — Episode 66 💼

In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, host Justin Dixon sits down with Brandon Wolfe, Co-Founder & Partner at Jordan Partners, a private equity firm based in Raleigh, North Carolina, focused on software and tech-enabled services businesses in the lower middle market.

Brandon’s path to private equity wasn’t traditional. He grew up in a small town in Appalachia, started his career as a middle school math teacher, and ultimately built an investment firm grounded in discipline, alignment, and long-term value creation.

This conversation goes far beyond career trajectory. It dives deep into:

🔹 Why private equity is fundamentally an apprenticeship business

If you’re a founder considering a partner, an operator navigating growth, or an investor thinking about durable alpha, this episode delivers practical insight without hype.

📍 Learn more about Brandon Wolfe and Jordan Partners

🎧 Subscribe for more conversations with leaders in private equity, venture capital, and high-growth companies.

🏠 Growth Capital Podcast — Episode 65 🏠

Energy adoption isn’t failing because of technology.

In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, host Justin Dixon sits down with Arshia Jahangiri, Founder & CEO of Solenery, a platform simplifying clean energy upgrades for residential and commercial property owners across North America.

Arshia shares his entrepreneurial journey—from launching his first venture in high school to building a climate-tech platform designed to eliminate the friction around energy incentives, contractor selection, and ROI clarity.

But this conversation goes beyond energy.

It dives into:

Solenery is building a one-stop platform for property owners to access solar, HVAC, heat pumps, EV chargers, and energy incentives—removing confusion and improving clarity in decision-making.

📩 Connect with Arshia on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/arshyya/

If you’re a founder, operator, or investor navigating infrastructure, climate tech, or regulated markets—this episode will sharpen your thinking.

👉 Subscribe for more conversations with private equity leaders, founders, and CEOs scaling growth businesses.

Watch or listen now!

🔗 Growth Capital Podcast — Episode 64 🔗

Why do some startups hold together under pressure, while others break at the first sign of scale?

In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, host Justin Dixon sits down with Andrew Ackerman, Executive Director, REACH Labs, at Second Century Ventures, to unpack how investors really evaluate early-stage companies—and why startups behave more like chains than ropes.

Andrew draws on his experience as a founder, angel investor, accelerator builder, and venture capitalist to explain how one weak link—whether it’s the team, product, market, or go-to-market—can derail even the most promising startup. The conversation dives deep into how founders can de-risk before raising capital, the difference between seed validation and Series A scaling, and why buzzwords don’t replace real proof.

Key topics discussed:

🔗 Connect with Andrew:

🌍 Growth Capital Podcast — Episode 63 🌍

Remote work unlocked flexibility and global talent—but it also created a massive compliance gap that most companies and professionals aren’t prepared for.

In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, host Justin Dixon sits down with Maxwell Nee, Co-Founder of Flamingo, to unpack the overlooked tax, residency, and regulatory risks hiding inside today’s borderless work environment.

Maxwell shares how remote work, global mobility, and digital nomadism have outpaced the systems designed to track them—and why even sophisticated executives often discover their exposure only when audits, visa reviews, or penalties appear. Drawing on his experience living and working across multiple countries, he explains why compliance failures are rarely intentional but almost always infrastructural.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

Whether you’re leading a PE-backed company, managing a distributed workforce, or investing in global growth, this conversation highlights a risk you can’t afford to ignore.

🔗 Connect with Maxwell on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxwellnee/

👉 Subscribe for more insights from private equity leaders, founders, and operators

🧠 Growth Capital Podcast — Episode 62 🧠

What does it really take to build and invest in companies that operate at the intersection of government and commercial markets?

In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, host Justin Dixon sits down with Bryan Mabry, Partner at New North Ventures, to unpack how investors evaluate dual-use businesses, why government revenue alone rarely produces venture-scale outcomes, and where founders often misstep when navigating procurement, accreditation, and product focus.

Bryan brings a rare perspective shaped by time in the CIA, senior government roles, and hands-on startup leadership—offering a clear-eyed look at how capital, access, and operational discipline actually drive success in regulated markets.

🔍 Key topics discussed:

🎧 Whether you’re a founder exploring government markets, a VC underwriting complex growth paths, or a PE leader thinking about resilience and scale—this conversation delivers practical insight.

👉 Watch now, subscribe to the channel, and drop a comment with your biggest takeaway.

📩 Connect with Bryan Mabry:

🌐 Learn more about New North Ventures: https://www.newnorthventures.com/

🛡️ Growth Capital Podcast — Episode 61 🛡️

What happens when a real-world cybersecurity incident becomes the spark for a category-defining startup?

In this episode of Growth Capital Podcast, host Justin Dixon sits down with Mario Soave, Founder & CEO of CleverFi, to unpack how a personal cybersecurity crisis in an Airbnb led to a fundamentally different way of thinking about Wi-Fi, access control, and trust.

Mario shares how shared Wi-Fi passwords expose property owners and small businesses to serious risk—and why connectivity should be treated like identity-based infrastructure, not a static utility. Drawing parallels to Visa and Mastercard, he explains how CleverFi enables personalized, revocable network access anywhere in the world—without hardware or apps.

This conversation is a must-watch for founders, operators, and investors interested in:

🎧 Available now on YouTube and all major podcast platforms.

👉 Subscribe for more conversations with founders, CEOs, and investors shaping the future of growth.

🔗 Connect with Mario Soave on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariosoave/ (don’t forget to mention that you saw or heard on the Growth Capital Podcast for a response)

🧑‍💻 Growth Capital Podcast — Episode 60 🧑‍💻

What if the biggest barrier to building a tech company is already gone?

Joel shares how he used modern AI and code-assist tools to build a functioning prototype himself, logging 100-hour weeks to turn a personal pain point into a scalable platform. The conversation explores what this shift means for founders, investors, and operators—and why execution, clarity, and obsession still matter more than tools.

🎧 In this episode, you’ll learn:

This episode is especially relevant for founders, PE-backed CEOs, venture investors, and operators thinking about product, talent, and scale.

📩 Connect with Joel Walker on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelw3/

👉 Watch now, subscribe for more conversations with growth-stage leaders, and drop a comment: Do you think AI changes how early-stage teams should be built?

👤 Growth Capital Podcast — Episode 59 👤

What happens when the skills that built the company start to limit its growth?

In this episode of Growth Capital Podcast, host Justin Dixon sits down with Jason Putnam, CEO of Vetty, to explore one of the most challenging transitions in building a company: transitioning from founder-led control to scalable leadership.

Jason shares hard-earned lessons from stepping into CEO roles after founding companies, scaling them from $10M to $50M+, and building repeatable systems that enable growth without chaos. From why repeatability matters more than hustle, to how brand has become a critical growth lever in an AI-driven market, this conversation is a must-watch for founders, operators, and investors navigating scale.

Whether you’re a founder preparing for your next phase, a PE-backed CEO scaling operations, or an investor evaluating leadership risk, this episode offers a clear operator’s perspective on what scalable leadership really requires.

🎧 Watch now on YouTube

📩 Connect with Jason Putnam:

👉 Subscribe for more conversations with PE leaders, operators, and founders